Hard News: America: Chill out!
153 Responses
First ←Older Page 1 2 3 4 5 … 7 Newer→ Last
-
Yes, I'm great - as luck has it, my GP had completely botched the diagnosis
Good to hear the first bit, not so good about the second. (BTW anyone heard from Emma? Maybe they have taken her laptop away to aid her recuperation.)
-
I would have thought military and prison spending came close, though prison spending is probably hidden in state budgets.
If a figure I just read in an NYT OpEd of 18% of GDP is correct, he's absolutely right that not even military and corrections come close. The US defence budget is under 4% of GDP (3.5% last I saw), and corrections spending, being nearly USD50b at the state level and around USD8b at the federal level, is a mere rounding error on a 14-digit GDP.
-
Live there for a while: you'll never hear anything on the news channels about any other country unless the story is something disastrous.
So it doesn't get better? I struggled to watch any channels (news included) during the 3 weeks I spent in NY earlier this year. In my short experience the whole thing was completely overrun by commercials for health insurance and pharmaceuticals. I wonder if it'd have been more bearable if I'd paid for some of the non-free channels.
To be fair, I struggle to watch television news here, too, but that's mostly for the content between the commercials, so not quite the same.
-
I just read the full text of the speech. I did like 'I will not accept the status quo as a solution'. But I'm worried they'll end up with something complicated and not particularly efficient.
Oh, also, Matt Taibbi's 'we're all dooooooooooooomed' healthcare article in Rolling Stone was an interesting read, I thought.
-
They so need a Walter Nash. And a Mickey Savage, for that matter. And a Peter Fraser. And a Harry Holland ..
The men are usually credited with the achievements but actually there have always been influential activist women behind the scenes on the political left. Fraser and Roosevelt were friends. So were their wives Janet and Eleanor, and the latter visited here in the war where Janet introduced her to the activist networks.
You can be sure that Michelle Obama has had input into this latest Obama speech.
-
BTW anyone heard from Emma?
Home and happy. (or drugged)
-
And thank you to all who wished me luck with my various medical tests. It worked. CT says no tumour for me. Ultrasound says no (well they didn't actually say what that was looking for, but they didn't find it).
The Doctor actually said "You've had every test known to man". He also said normally at this point they'd give me prednisone, but given that I'm currently taking prednisone He's told me to take more.
On the whole I think I'd rather not have my HLA-B27.
-
Eww... sorry, folks, but that's one section of the speech I'd have begged Obama to put a blue pencil line through. Way too much Oprah, and not enough of the grown-up thoughtful Obama I like.
For me too, but I suspect it played pretty well in America across about 90% of Americans.
-
"I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficit -- either now or in the future."
Govt will be obliged to make spending cuts in other areas if anticipated savings don't materialise.
Very sneaky.
The standard US legislative procedure is:
House and Senate approve bill. Bill sent to President for signature:
The President's has three option:
sign the bill: the bill becomes law
return bill to congress: veto
do nothing.If the President does nothing then:
if Congress is not in session: "pocket" veto
if Congress is in session: the bill becomes lawThe President doesn't need to sign a bill for it to become law - so if he wants to increase the deficit to pay for his healthcare plan, well he hasn't actually promised not to =)
-
I must admit I am perpetually astonished at the extent to which local American politics is global news. (I know, I know, America sneezes, the rest of us catch cold, and are grateful for our socialized health care)
But Russell, and I mean this in a loving way -- the headline "Hard News: America: Chill out!" reminds me a of a story my mother used to tell about trawling through the archives of a little South Island paper. She was greatly tickled by a thundering editorial written during one of the Russian scares of the 19th century, which began, "This is not the first time we have warned the Tsar."
I just wish I could remember which paper it was...
-
I must admit I am perpetually astonished at the extent to which local American politics is global news.
In this case, it's because it's fascinating, crazy and dramatic -- and also because it appears to have been deemed that this is make-or-break for a POTUS in which the rest of the world is quite invested.
I just wish I could remember which paper it was...
The Grey River Argus, I believe.
-
Home and happy. (or drugged)
It's not really an either/or thing. I'm taking some scary amounts of pain relief right now. Hoping to not need to be permanently off my tits on codeine sometime in the near future.
-
I must admit I am perpetually astonished at the extent to which local American politics is global news.
i think that, in this particular case, there's a basic issue of empathy for the millions that can't get medical care in a modern democracy...
and if that makes me sound like i'm invested in American health care in the same fashion as i might be invested in, for instance, the Darfur Conflict, then i'll have to plead guilty there...
-
For me too, but I suspect it played pretty well in America across about 90% of Americans.
To be fair, I'm sure it was meant to be a (well-received) throw to the Democrats in the room and the party base at large, and as far as "partisan red meat" it was very well done :)
-
In this case, it's because it's fascinating, crazy and dramatic -- and also because it appears to have been deemed that this is make-or-break for a POTUS in which the rest of the world is quite invested.
Also, whether you like to admit it or not, America's health care issues aren't as unusual as we'd like to think. It seems to me that every First World country is trying to deal with the same political, economic and practical challenges thrown up by an ageing population, expanding costs and entitlements while facing unpopular question about who the hell is eventually going to pick up the tab.
-
The NY Times has the 'prepared text'
The White House site appears to have transformed that into a transcript, complete with numerous mentions of (Applause) and the solitary heckle. Presumably they have caught up with any ad libs/deviations from text as well.
-
I must admit I am perpetually astonished at the extent to which local American politics is global news.
I think there is a growing feeling that Obama's presidency could be one which stands above the others in terms of being known world-wide for being significant.
Roosevelt for New Deal, Reagan for end of cold war, Kennedy/LBJ for Civil Rights. Lincoln for that whole civil war/slavery thing.
Obama could take a significant step in fixing USA health care, and get the US out of two major shitholes in the Middle East. I'll take an interest in all three of those.
-
Also, whether you like to admit it or not, America's health care issues aren't as unusual as we'd like to think. It seems to me that every First World country is trying to deal with the same political, economic and practical challenges thrown up by an ageing population, expanding costs and entitlements while facing unpopular question about who the hell is eventually going to pick up the tab.
this is true... but i think any suggestion that the American system is anywhere near any sort of par with systems elsewhere in the first world would be misguided... all first world democracies are facing similar problems, yes... but we're not all starting from the same place...
in other words... before America can address the problems you're talking about... it has to stop failing a not insignificant proportion of its citizens... walk before you run, and all that...
-
Am waiting for James Bremer to come in and tell you all off...
-
Obama could take a significant step in fixing USA health care, and get the US out of two major shitholes in the Middle East. I'll take an interest in all three of those.
Agreed but the later two hold rather more interest for me, and I'm not thoroughly convinced that Obama's currency, or energy, is spent if he stumbles on health.
-
Am waiting for James Bremer to come in and tell you all off...
Candyman candyman...
-
and if that makes me sound like i'm invested in American health care in the same fashion as i might be invested in, for instance, the Darfur Conflict, then i'll have to plead guilty there...
But for all that, I've yet to see a thread here, or anywhere in the US, on the half a million or so who lost their homes, with little chance of a new one, or much else in the foreseeable future, in last week's earthquake in Java.
We're selective in the pain we share.
-
get the US out of two major shitholes in the Middle East
Iraq and Iran?
-
But for all that, I've yet to see a thread here, or anywhere in the US, on the half a million or so who lost their homes, with little chance of a new one, or much else in the foreseeable future, in last week's earthquake in Java.
We're selective in the pain we share.
Oh good! You're okay. I was a bit worried about you, following the news this week.
-
A good summary of a lot of opinion polling on the healthcare issue.
One of the key points is that of the 85% of the population (307-45/307) that has health insurance, 70% rate it highly (only 6% rate it poor). Not many believe Obama when he keeps saying the current health reform proposals will lead to lower costs and better care. So the vast majority who are happy with their current situation believes that the proposal on the table will make their situation worse. That is a hard sale at any time.
People want lower costs and better access for themselves and for those uninsured, but not at the risk of ending up worse than they are now. Hardly an unreasonable position.
Here is a good analysis by Michael Barone of why the Congress and Obama are out of touch with mainstream America on healthcare, cap and trae, card check etc They are not of mainstream America, they are way left of the mainstream. This growing realization is hurting Obama, who was supposed to be the great bipartisan healer (according to his campaign anyway). That all went out the window with the stimulus and it has been downhill from there. Not much fun feeling had, as more people apparently are.
As for this being a make or break for Obama, whatever it is, it is a big deal, Obama himself has made it so. He has said that healthcare reform is his number one priority, and he is screwing it up, making some pretty basic mistakes, like not having his own plan that he can explain, repeating statements that few people believe, and Dems calling people who disagree with them Nazis etc. Not smart. (it seems like such a short time ago that dissent was the highest form of patriotism!!) If you can’t get your number one priority through with the majorities he has, he will have diminished authority.
The US system is designed to be checked and balanced. The founding fathers spent most of their time trying to figure out how to stop the seemingly inevitable slide of govt into tyranny so they designed a system full of checks and balances that makes making changes difficult. It is messy, but it was designed that way, for better or worse. I think for better, as Mark Twain said, “When Congress is in session, your liberty and property are in peril!!” Too true!!
Post your response…
This topic is closed.